Thirty Five - BF
"How are you feeling today?" Dusty asked brightly. It was day two.
"Fine." Scott gave his standard answer. He was starting to get used to the continuing blackness, but was struggling to reconcile himself to not being in control of his surroundings. His daily gamut of emotions ranged from acceptance to sadness to fear to anger. Both Dusty and Jeff had stoically borne the brunt of his outbursts. Both were more than willing to act as outlets to his frustrations.
"I've set up an obstacle course for you today." Dusty told him.
"Obstacle course?" Scott said faintly.
"Nothing too tricky. Only three obstacles. There's a chair, a table and cardboard box. I've put a rope fence along the sides so that you keep within the course. See?" She placed his hand on the stand that held the rope.
He nodded.
She let go of his hand. "Now this isn't a race. Take your time." She stepped back
With some trepidation and keeping his hand on the rope he felt about with his cane before gingerly taking a step forward.
"That's good. Now let go of the rope."
"Let go..." Scott paled.
"You'll be okay, Scott." Jeff said. "Walk towards me."
"Bet you didn't think you'd be teaching me to walk after all this time." Scott said without any humour in his voice. He released his grip on the rope, felt in front of him and took another step.
"Great!" Jeff exclaimed. "Now the next one."
This time the cane came in contact with an object. Scott traced its outline. It was the cardboard box. Slowly he tapped his way around it.
"Well done." Dusty commented.
Scott took another step and found himself pressed up against the rope. He adjusted his direction slightly. Two more steps and he found the table. He negotiated this by sliding his hand along the edge to keep track of his position.
"Only the chair to go." Jeff said. "And you've done it."
With slightly more confidence Scott took a step forward. His cane caught in the chair's leg. As he stepped to the side to release it, his own leg caught around a stand in the rope's fence and he overbalanced, falling towards the chair.
Jeff stepped forward to catch his son as he saw him fall helplessly. He cringed as he saw Scott's head bang against the chair's arm.
Scott let out an exclamation of pain as his burned face came in contact with the unyielding wood of the chair. He lay on the floor trying to fight against the feelings of pain and fear that coursed through his system. For an instant he was back in the dust filled corridor of Regnad Corporation.
"Scott!" Jeff crouched beside him and assisted him into a sitting position.
"M-My head." Scott gasped.
Blood had begun to soak through the bandage.
"I'll get the first aid kit." Dusty said. She raced over to the conveniently placed box that sat at the side of the room. She quickly removed the old bandage and placed a gauze pad over the wound. "It's okay. It's only a graze." She said reassuringly.
"I can't do this." Scott cried. "I can't cope with this." He pulled his legs up and hugged his knees.
"It's okay, Scott" Jeff tried to reassure him, dismayed at how his normally in control son appeared to be disintegrating before his eyes.
"No it's not." Scott gulped. "I want to go home."
"You can't, not yet..."
"Please. Take me home!" Scott begged.
"No Scott." It felt as if it were the hardest thing that Jeff had ever had to say. "No. We can't go home now. I'm sorry." He wrapped his arms around his son. For an instant he was back 25 years comforting his distraught child.
"Then leave me alone!" Scott said heatedly pushing his father away. Still in a crouching position Jeff fell backwards onto the floor.
Dusty was becoming worried about Scott's condition. Perhaps the blow to the head was worse than she'd realised. "Look after him." She ordered an extremely worried Jeff. "I'll go get help." He nodded his acknowledgement.
She was back a short time later with a doctor in tow. Scott had calmed down somewhat and was allowing his father to comfort him.
The doctor was all business. "Now then let's have a look at your face." He removed the temporary bandage. "That's fine. Just a graze. The skin's still healing and you knocked it." He replaced the bandage, did another couple of tests and then, when he was satisfied that there was nothing more serious to worry about, packed his bag and returned to his surgery.
Scott wiped his eyes. "Can I at least go back to my room?"
Jeff looked at Dusty questioningly.
She nodded. "I think we've done enough for now. We'll do something else this afternoon. You did very well Scott. Tomorrow will be better."
"Yeah sure." He sounded unconvinced.
"How are you feeling today?" Dusty asked brightly. It was day two.
"Fine." Scott gave his standard answer. He was starting to get used to the continuing blackness, but was struggling to reconcile himself to not being in control of his surroundings. His daily gamut of emotions ranged from acceptance to sadness to fear to anger. Both Dusty and Jeff had stoically borne the brunt of his outbursts. Both were more than willing to act as outlets to his frustrations.
"I've set up an obstacle course for you today." Dusty told him.
"Obstacle course?" Scott said faintly.
"Nothing too tricky. Only three obstacles. There's a chair, a table and cardboard box. I've put a rope fence along the sides so that you keep within the course. See?" She placed his hand on the stand that held the rope.
He nodded.
She let go of his hand. "Now this isn't a race. Take your time." She stepped back
With some trepidation and keeping his hand on the rope he felt about with his cane before gingerly taking a step forward.
"That's good. Now let go of the rope."
"Let go..." Scott paled.
"You'll be okay, Scott." Jeff said. "Walk towards me."
"Bet you didn't think you'd be teaching me to walk after all this time." Scott said without any humour in his voice. He released his grip on the rope, felt in front of him and took another step.
"Great!" Jeff exclaimed. "Now the next one."
This time the cane came in contact with an object. Scott traced its outline. It was the cardboard box. Slowly he tapped his way around it.
"Well done." Dusty commented.
Scott took another step and found himself pressed up against the rope. He adjusted his direction slightly. Two more steps and he found the table. He negotiated this by sliding his hand along the edge to keep track of his position.
"Only the chair to go." Jeff said. "And you've done it."
With slightly more confidence Scott took a step forward. His cane caught in the chair's leg. As he stepped to the side to release it, his own leg caught around a stand in the rope's fence and he overbalanced, falling towards the chair.
Jeff stepped forward to catch his son as he saw him fall helplessly. He cringed as he saw Scott's head bang against the chair's arm.
Scott let out an exclamation of pain as his burned face came in contact with the unyielding wood of the chair. He lay on the floor trying to fight against the feelings of pain and fear that coursed through his system. For an instant he was back in the dust filled corridor of Regnad Corporation.
"Scott!" Jeff crouched beside him and assisted him into a sitting position.
"M-My head." Scott gasped.
Blood had begun to soak through the bandage.
"I'll get the first aid kit." Dusty said. She raced over to the conveniently placed box that sat at the side of the room. She quickly removed the old bandage and placed a gauze pad over the wound. "It's okay. It's only a graze." She said reassuringly.
"I can't do this." Scott cried. "I can't cope with this." He pulled his legs up and hugged his knees.
"It's okay, Scott" Jeff tried to reassure him, dismayed at how his normally in control son appeared to be disintegrating before his eyes.
"No it's not." Scott gulped. "I want to go home."
"You can't, not yet..."
"Please. Take me home!" Scott begged.
"No Scott." It felt as if it were the hardest thing that Jeff had ever had to say. "No. We can't go home now. I'm sorry." He wrapped his arms around his son. For an instant he was back 25 years comforting his distraught child.
"Then leave me alone!" Scott said heatedly pushing his father away. Still in a crouching position Jeff fell backwards onto the floor.
Dusty was becoming worried about Scott's condition. Perhaps the blow to the head was worse than she'd realised. "Look after him." She ordered an extremely worried Jeff. "I'll go get help." He nodded his acknowledgement.
She was back a short time later with a doctor in tow. Scott had calmed down somewhat and was allowing his father to comfort him.
The doctor was all business. "Now then let's have a look at your face." He removed the temporary bandage. "That's fine. Just a graze. The skin's still healing and you knocked it." He replaced the bandage, did another couple of tests and then, when he was satisfied that there was nothing more serious to worry about, packed his bag and returned to his surgery.
Scott wiped his eyes. "Can I at least go back to my room?"
Jeff looked at Dusty questioningly.
She nodded. "I think we've done enough for now. We'll do something else this afternoon. You did very well Scott. Tomorrow will be better."
"Yeah sure." He sounded unconvinced.